Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 297 › Conversation 297-027

Nixon & Kissinger on White House leaks and Internal security

Friday, November 12, 1971 · 12:29 PM–12:33 PM ET · Old Executive Office Building

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); Kissinger, Henry A.Conversation297-027 on Tape 297 (tape position 01:12:44–01:20:01)StartFriday, November 12, 1971 at 12:29 PMEndFriday, November 12, 1971 at 12:33 PMRecording deviceOld Executive Office BuildingSourceNixon Library record for 297-027 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon and Henry Kissinger discuss concerns regarding internal leaks and personnel loyalty within the administration. Expressing frustration over unauthorized disclosures to the press, the President emphasizes the need to identify the sources of these leaks and enforce internal discipline to prevent further backbiting. The conversation concludes with a directive to handle personnel matters discreetly while reinforcing the administration's stance against untrustworthy staff members.

White House leaks
Personnel management
Internal security
Press relations
Nixon administration discipline

Audio

part A, 1:12:44

Download MP3 (part 1) · 112.0 MB ·Download MP3 (part 2) · 39.0 MB

This conversation has not yet been cut into its own clip, so the players above hold the full tape, shared with neighbouring conversations. By the archivists' log it runs from 01:12:44 to 01:20:01 into the tape; their log often drifts a minute or two from the audio, so listen for the subjects in the finding aid.

NARA Description

On November 12, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:29 pm and 12:33 pm. The Old Executive Office Building taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 297-027 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 297-27

Date: November 12, 1971
Time: Unknown between 12:29 pm and 12:33 pm
Location: Executive Office Building

The President talked with Henry A. Kissinger.

       Kissinger’s schedule
             -Return call

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

Timestamps are positions within the full tape; click one to play the tape from there.

Casting on the shore, and they've known that, of course, for a couple of months.

Don't you think the CBS delivery who did that murder, he didn't get a shoe?

How do you think that happened?

Price of anybody around here, no numbers.

I mean, uh...

This was months ago, I mean, yeah, after when I was at the shelter.

Yeah, and what was that?

I can't hear it right now.

It was Christ.

He would know better.

He would be understanding of these things.

After Christ said, you and I should well know, he couldn't have a slight interest in that.

That's the best indication of it.

All right.

We've got to find him.

I don't care whoever it is.

It's a close person.

We've got to go.

We're not going to have to.

I don't know.

I can't believe my eyes.

I don't know.

Like the story of the phosphates, right?

I didn't know anything about the phosphates, and I didn't do the interview.

That would look like a deliberate action shot of somebody inside.

Well...

I know it's a bad thing to give a goddamn about the backbiting, but there's not going to be any backbiting in this place.

That I will not tolerate for anybody.

I will tolerate for you and then somebody else, and we won't have an institute and somebody else.

This is kind of crap.

That's petty shit.

I'm sure he's going to come and call that man now.

I'll just make sure he's looking.

Now it's all a question of the numbers of people we have to find.

Five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 62, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 62, 63, 62, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62, 63, 62,

That's right.

Don't tell anybody anything.

Well, I don't want to be a knowledgeable person in the press.

That's the best thing to do.

I'm not a big concern.

The White House supports you very well.

Of course, it's not true.

Our people talk to you like a sieve.

But on the other hand, you've got to have a better vision

because why should we talk about these bastards?

They're not for us.

They're out to kill us.

So the fact that you don't leak, whether you want to leak the China crypt and then I'll have it, leak the Russian crypt and then I'll have it, that's what they want to see.

I don't trust China.

I never have.

I never trust one.

I would never trust one when the story has to be written.

I've got to remember their first loyalty message.

Well, anyway, I don't know if I have any questions.

OK. Yeah, I guess you .

Yeah.

OK. Fine.

Yeah, I mean, once you finish, you can call that probation.

Also recorded on November 12, 1971

014-083 12:10 PM · 18 min — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Charles W. Colson talked on the telephone from 12:10 pm to 12:29 pm.
297-026 12:10 PM · 9 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Charles W. Colson met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:10 pm to 12:29 pm.
297-028 12:33 PM · 22 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Henry A. Kissinger, and Alexander P. Butterfield met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building from 12:33 pm to 12:59 pm.
297-029 12:59 PM · 40 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.
297-030 12:59 PM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.
297-031 12:59 PM · 42 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.
297-032 12:59 PM · 1 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Henry A. Kissinger met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.
297-033 12:59 PM · 25 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the President's office in the Old Executive Office Building at an unknown time between 12:59 pm and 2:20 pm.

All 64 conversations from November 12, 1971 →

Nixon & Kissinger on People's Republic of China and Diplomatic Relations July 19, 1971 · 11 min
Nixon, Haldeman & Camp David Operator on Campaign Strategy and Watergate September 13, 1972 · 37 min
Nixon, Haldeman & Woods on Dictation equipment and 1973 Inauguration January 12, 1973 · 45 min
Nixon & Haldeman on Republican Governors' Conference and Press relations April 19, 1971 · 30 min
Nixon & Ziegler on Busing policy and Press relations March 13, 1972 · 7 min
Nixon, Ziegler & Butterfield on Second-term reorganization December 16, 1972 · 16 min

Cite this conversation

Conversation 297-027, November 12, 1971. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/297-027 (accessed November 15, 2026).